Sheriff Joe Arpaio has agreed to pay a $76,000 settlement over allegations he violated campaign finance laws in 2010 by running illegal ads that may have influenced the race for Maricopa County Attorney.

America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff is miffed at elementary school administrators after he said he was invited to read to a group of Phoenix sixth-graders — and then uninvited for being considered too controversial.

A poll showing Arpaio as the front-runner in the U.S. Senate race garnered all the headlines yesterday afternoon, though serious political observers have no reason to believe the sheriff will enter the race, despite his $3 million war chest and proven ability to raise large amounts of money nationally.